Fight Science

"Fight Science" is a television program shown on the National Geographic Channel in which scientists and martial arts masters work together to analyze the world's fighting techniques, to compare the disciplines and to find out which one has the strongest hits, kicks and deadliest weapons. The show also tries to prove through science if certain legends in fighting are possible, such as whether a one-punch knockout is possible, or if ninja are as nimble and deadly as stories tell. There is also a feature on human strength, wherein a man hits his head on bricks in order to shatter them. This show has many spin-offs such as Sport Science.

This documentary features fighters Rickson Gracie, Alex Huynh, Bren Foster, Li Jing, Dan Inosanto and Glen Levy.

Results of Testing

*Best Punching Strike - Boxing, Cross Punch
*Best Kicking Strike - Tae Kwon Do, Reverse or Spinning Back Kick/Side Kick
*Best Strike - Muay Thai, Straight Knee Strike
*Best Overall Style - Ninjutsu
*Best Reflexes - Tae Kwon Do
*Best Speed - Wushu
*Strongest bones - Tameshiwari/Hard Body Training
*Best Overall Weapon - Katana
*One Hit Death Strike Possible - Yes
*Best Grappling Art - Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Legend Confirmations

*The agility of a ninja was confirmed by revealing that one's center of gravity was constantly shifted to balance properly within the limit of the foot. It can be done but takes much practice and possibly years of training.
*The one-punch knockout and shattering bricks with one's head were confirmed, but only as a perfect shot, and therefore unlikely to be seen in a real-life fight. The punch of the dead was confirmed too, because it would have killed the dummy if it was human.

Weapon Revelations

"All weapons were rated on "range", "control" and "impact"."
*Eskrima sticks and the bō were revealed to show extension of range and good control, but would break if sufficient impact was delivered.
*The nunchaku showed good extension, but it was revealed to be out of control for a fraction of a second after striking an opponent and some of the impact was absorbed due to its flexibility.
*Shuriken and Bows were really only effective at long-range rather than close-up because once the shuriken was thrown or the arrow released, it was completely out of the user's hands.
*Swords originally came in two variants: stabbing (like a rapier) or slashing (like a scimitar), but the katana was proven to be highly effective at both.

Criticisms

The program has been heavily criticised for a number of things.
*Lack of cultural diversity: All the weapons used in tests were from China, Japan or the Philippines. Weapons from Europe, the Middle East, Africa or the Americas were not included in the testing. Additionally the only styles from outside of Asia that were tested were Boxing, Capoeira, and Brazilian Jiujitsu (which is partially Japanese). Styles such as Sambo or Savate were not included.
*Reinforcing myths: Fight Science has been accused of reinforcing martial arts myths rather than dispelling them. For example the experiment to prove that katanas are the best sword due to their ability to both cut and thrust was rigged, as the katana was only measured against two other swords, both of which were dedicated to either cutting or thrusting. Or when proving that the Muay Thai Knee strike was the most powerful kick (in spite of other styles having techniques that are exactly the same) the amount of power generated was not mentioned, but rather the show only went into detail of the injury caused, which it did for no other kick. (the amount force in a 35 mph crash is roughly 2200 lbs)
*Lack of Historical Research: Fight Science has been accused of not having done sufficient historical research into the martial arts and weapons it tests. It is alleged that the Jinn used for the weapons experiment was not of the type that was used in real combat, which were thicker and more ridged, but a modern type that is thinner and lighter so as to be better for doing forms and display.
*Rewarding the experts who volunteered: It has been alleged that experiments were rigged to favour the styles of practitioners in the show, rather than being objective.
*The Katana Test: The Test of the Katana's cutting power has drawn dramatic amounts of criticism. The test was against a ballistics gel cast of a human torso that had neither bones nor organs and was of completely consistent resistance, unlike a human body. It should also be noted that the test was conducted by Bren Foster, a Tae Kwon Do practitioner who has no great skill in the handling of the Katana. Most of his moves and holds were wrong with regards to the art of the Katana. The reason why Bren was chosen to do this test is that the official Kendo practitioners refused to conduct the test, as they estimated this was not the spirit of their art. Additionally the swords the katana were both dedicated cutting or thrusting swords, and poor examples of them at that. The Jian or thrusting sword used was said to have nearly broken in the target, although this may be because the sword used was a light training sword rather than a stiffer fighting sword. Additinally the Dao or cutting sword used was not tested for thrusting power. It has been pointed out that many other swords have equal cutting and thrusting power, such as European broadswords or longswords.
*Testing practitioners not style: It has been pointed out that it was the practitioners that were tested, and not the style itself. For example, taekwondo was regarded as having the best reflexes, however, this means only that the practitioner tested has better reflexes than all other practitioners, though other practitioners in other martial arts, who were not tested, may have better reflexes than the practitioner of taekwondo that was tested. Also, during the punching test, the Tae Kwon Do practitioner registered the second hardest punch even though punches are not generally emphasized in that style, the practitioner received a high rating because of his size and not because the style had especially good punches.

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